Is Catfish kosher?
No — Catfish is not kosher under Jewish dietary law.
Not kosher. Catfish have no scales, which disqualifies them under the rule that a kosher fish must have both fins and scales (Leviticus 11:9-12).
Image: Photo by authors of the images used: HalbsHännile Thomsonmg2000 Guillermo Enrique Terán, Juliano Ferrer, Mauricio Benitez, Felipe Alonso, Gastón Aguilera, Juan Marcos Mirande Luiz Fernando Caserta Tencatt, Maria Elina Bichuette Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Benutzer:Haps ปลาของเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้แผ่นดินใหญ่ (FiMSeA) Jansen Zuanon & Efrem J. G. Ferreira Chen X-Y, Qin T, Chen Z-Y CONTERALLY at Italian Wikipedia author of the collage: Kostka Martin · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
About Catfish
Any of about 3,000 ray-finned fish in the order Siluriformes. Known for their prominent barbels ("whiskers") and smooth, scaleless skin. Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish of the order Siluriformes (historically Nematognathi). Catfish are named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not all catfish have prominent barbels. All Siluriformes lack scales, instead possessing either smooth skin or armour-plated bodies. This order of fish are defined by features of the skull (such as maxillae modified into the barbels' bases) and swimbladder. Catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia, and the piraíba of South America, to detritivorous and scavenging bottom feeders, down to the tiny ectoparasitic species known as the candiru. In the Southern United States, catfish may be known by a variety of slang names, such as "mud cat", "polliwogs", or "chuckleheads". Such names are regional and unstandardized. For instance, "chucklehead" in one region may refer to a bullhead catfish but indicate blue catfish elsewhere. Catfish as a group are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food, such as the Pangasius (a shark catfish) and Clarias (like the walking catfish). Many of the smaller species, such as members of the genus Corydoras, are important in the aquarium hobby. Some species, such as plecos of the genus Pterygoplichthys, are prolific invasives due to the aquarium hobby. Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish of the order Siluriformes (historically Nematognathi). Catfish are named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not all catfish have prominent barbels. All Siluriformes lack scales, instead possessing either smooth skin or armour-plated bodies. This order of fish are defined by features of the skull (such as maxillae modified into the barbels' bases) and swimbladder. Catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia, the wels catfish of Eurasia, and the piraíba of South America, to detritivorous and scavenging bottom feeders, down to the tiny ectoparasitic species known as the candiru. In the Southern United States, catfish may be known by a variety of slang names, such as "mud cat", "polliwogs", or "chuckleheads". Such names are regional and unstandardized. For instance, "chucklehead" in one region may refer to a bullhead catfish but indicate blue catfish elsewhere. Catfish as a group are of considerable commercial importance; many of the larger species are farmed or fished for food, such as the Pangasius (a shark catfish) and Clarias (like...
Kosher ruling
Source: Orthodox Union, Chabad, Aish HaTorah; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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